- The shocking danger of mountaintop removal – and why it must end
- Why community is our best chance for survival—a lesson post-Hurricane Maria
- How small collective actions create a water secure world
- Bringing facts to life through ecological art
- The link between climate change, health and poverty
- What it takes to create social change against all odds
Thijs Biersteker translates facts and science about humanity, technology and ecology into interactive art visualizations that inspire change.
About Thijs
Thijs Biersteker creates interactive art installations that turn topics about climate change, deforestation, and the Anthropocene period into relatable experiences rooted in facts and science. Thijs and his team work together with universities, research groups and companies to weave together humanity, technology and ecology into interactive experiences that create change. His immersive art installations are often described as eco-awareness art. By using the latest technologies, Thijs works to turn visitors into ocean plastic, to give a voice to nature using data coming from living trees, and to let the rainforest disappear in front of our eyes. Currently, Thijs is affiliated with Delft University of Technology (NL) where he teaches art, ethics and empathy. Thijs is the recipient of the prestigious Lumen Prize for digital art, was nominated for the Stars Prize from Ars Electronica and the New Technology Art Award.
We need our planet more than it needs us. Human health and climate health are intimately intertwined.
We, individually and collectively, have a relationship with the planet we live on. Like the human body, the planet Earth is a complicated balance of elements that work in harmony to provide stability long into the future. When that balance is disrupted by unnatural events, such as human activity, our future is less certain.
When we consider human health, we must consider how the health of our climate health shapes it—whether it is the impact the climate has on the social determinants of health, the depletion of essential resources like water caused by a changing climate, how we can harness art to connect ourselves to our environment, or how united communities may have profound impacts.
Our speakers have a unique understanding of our connection to climate and its impact on our health. They ask us to consider how we may act as communities on a road toward a healthier world, both for our climate and ourselves.
